digital paintings

This is a sampling of a few images from a new series I am developing by writing computer code to render particles influenced by gravity.
Each image shows the affect of the gravity of various numbers of objects on 100,000 particles flying through a 3-dimensional space. The code calculates a variety of factors to determine the orbits of each particle, including its mass, speed, direction and distance from other particles and objects, taking into account their mass, speed and direction.

These images have been scaled down for display on the web and unfortunately the finer details are lost here – it is better to see these in person.
The code was written in Processing, running on a Windows based Intel i7 workstation, using a Nvidia GPU and OpenGL for rendering. Each image is the result of millions of calculations, which render in real-time.

The video gives a glimpse of the evolution of the software. As I continue to refine the code, I see lots of possibilities of incorporating this with my other interactive work… Stay tuned for more.

Gravity 2.0

This is another in a series of soothing & healing sculptures exploring gravity and the principles of zen.
The steel form is free-floating off the wall, suspended from a forged iron hanger. The lightly textured metal is accentuated by a natural patina with subtle brown, brass and copper hues, protected with a satin clear coat.
This sculpture was featured on the August 2015 cover of Ventana Magazine

Impact

I designed this sculpture in 2004, well before becoming a full-time sculptor. The small cardboard model sat on the bookcase in my office for years, a reminder to pick a target, follow your dreams and make it happen. In 2012, eight years after conceiving it, I finally had the time, space, tools and skills to make it happen. There is a great deal of engineering and thought in this work – for example; the stainless arrow is pocketed in a gasketed sleeve as it passes through the drum, thereby eliminating the possibility of the mild steel contaminating and rusting the stainless.

trio-i

This is the first in a series of personal explorations using acrylic mediums and tissue paper.
My fist venture in painting, my roots as a sculptor and glass artist literally showing through the translucent overlapping textures.
Three panels with encapsulated glass elements suspended on clear glass floating in a redwood frame.

Trinity

This is a series of soothing & healing sculptures exploring gravity and the principles of zen.
The glass is free-hanging, wrapping around the forged iron hanger. This allows it to gently sway in the breeze, the seed bubbles in the glass act like lenses projecting moving translucent random patterns on the wall.